How To Be Content, Part III
A crucial point on the path to contentment is the battle against anxiety, which is defined as incessant concern and fear over life challenges. Anxiety is basically the fear of feeling out of control of difficult circumstances.
In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul gives some interesting advice about dealing with anxiety. He says,
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Keep in mind that this counsel follows Paul’s addressing of the tension between two Christian women in the church. Key point: The first bit of advice from Paul is to rejoice in the Lord. One might think that Paul would have instructed them to confront one another first. But Paul understood that these women needed to fix their minds squarely on Christ and soften their hearts before approaching each other. What should we do when we are in a situation of stress? Go to God, says Paul. Think on him, who he is, who we are in him, and the immeasurable things we have to be thankful for in him. This is the first step to battling anxiety—to rejoice in the Lord. To better understand this, it is helpful to explore what it means to rejoice.
You see, we rejoice in something because it is worthy of rejoicing over. And the way that something is worthy of rejoicing over is by what we know about that something. Because what that something is, if it is something wonderful, provokes within us a cause for rejoicing, and we find great delight in it. For example, when a husband thinks about his wonderful wife, he thinks about the characteristics that make her who she is. The husband knows many things about her, and he recalls these things to mind. He thinks about her beliefs and how her beliefs motivate her to be the delightful person that she is. He thinks about the countless wonderful memories where he delighted in his wife. And these thoughts provoke rejoicing within his heart, because he has abundant reasons to do so.
And so it should be with the Christian as we consider who our God is. If a husband has reason to delight in his wonderful yet imperfect wife, how much more reason ought we to have to delight in the magnificent God of the universe who dwells in infinite perfection, who has given of himself to us out of perfect love and mercy? He is ever-trusting and ever-faithful. His mercies are never-failing. Even the most wonderful wife cannot come close to matching the excellence of God. We have endless reasons to rejoice in the greatness of the Lord, and to do this we must remember who he is, what he has done for us, and what he promises to us. This is a powerful way to fight against anxiety in our lives.
So then, if we mope and pity ourselves, we should find it as no surprise when we have much anxiety in our lives. Have you seen how the nonbeliever is affected by the uncertainties of life? They are a constant source of worry to him, and he can only deal with them in his own strength. Their methods are numerous. Some turn to exercise, television, or other hobbies for relief. Some turn to drugs, alcohol, or pornography. But no matter what worldly solutions the non-believer seeks, his anxieties are still there when he closes his eyes at night. His only hope is that somehow he will be able to make it through those difficulties on his own strength.
But how different it is with the believer! We have no reason to fear the cruelties of this life. We have the sovereign God of the universe working for our good. The most powerful being in existence is for us. And this great God who is for us is also sovereign. He has perfect control over all our circumstances, and he is able to carry all the weight of our burdens. So we must rejoice in the Lord, because he is sovereign, because he loves us, because he is infinitely concerned for us, because he promises to look after us, and because he has everything in control. May God help you to rejoice in him because of who he is in his incomprehensible greatness. By doing so, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
